Horse-collar and hame-fastener.



.No. 743,624. PATENTED Nov. 10, 1903.

' 0. J. DOLLEY. V HORSE COLLAR AND HAME PASTENER.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 9, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

mllmmn WITNESSES' UNITED STATES Patented November 10, 190 3.

PATENT OF IC HORSE-COLLAR AND HAM E-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,624,. datedNovember 10, 1903. Application filed June 9, 1902. Serial No. 110,763.(No model.)

citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Jackson, in thecounty of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in'Horse-C-ollars.

and flame-Fasteners, and the following is'a specification thereof.

My invention relates to improvementsin horse-collars andhame-fasteners,-in'which the collar is composed of parts joined togetherat the lower side; and the objects of my said improvements are toprovide, first, a strong and rigid connection between the separate partsof said collar; second, to provide one which automatically j oins saidparts together; third, to provide means for quickly locking andunlocking said joint to prevent its becoming disconnectedaccidentally;fourth, to provide means for connecting the hames together,and, fifth, to provide means for adj usting, lengthening, and shorteningthe hames when desired, further objects being apparent from thefollowing description. I attain these objects by the constructionillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is anelevation of a portion of a' by means of which the hames are attached tothe caps. Fig. 6 is a side view of said strap, showing a section of thecap and of the hames. Fig. 7 shows a variation in which the latch isoperated from above the cap. Fig. Sis a detail of the means by which thelatch is locked and unlocked.

In the said drawings similar letters and figures of reference refer tosimilar parts throughout the several drawings.

In my said horse-collar I employ a collar of any usual constructionhaving an opening between the side members at thebottom or beneath thehorses throat, and I have represented these side members by the numerals1 1. Over the lowermost ends of these side members and where they arebrought together in use I place the metal caps 2 and 3. These caps serveseveral useful purposes. One is to protect saidends from'wear, anotheris to stifien the parts and prevent the collar being drawn togetherunder strain, and another is to provide large fiat surfaces wherethejoint is made, which make the joint more rigid and firm. The saidcaps also furnish the support for the connecting and locking means forthe collar and harnes. Projecting from the face of one of said caps, as2, are. two or more tongues 9 of suitable size and strength.These'tongues have one side beveled,as shown in Fig. 4, for the purposeof raising the latch, hereinafter more particularly described. At theportion 10in said tongues arecut recesses or notches l0. These aredesigned to receive the latch 12, hereinafter mentioned. In the face ofthe cap 3, adjacent to said cap 2, are openings of suitable size topermit the said tongues to pass within the said cap 3. On the inside ofsaid cap and adjacent to the interior wall thereof is located a latch12, which is designed to be moved by the beveled edge of said tongueswhenever said tongues are forced within said cap 3 and to bespring-pressed into the notches 1O ofsaid tongues to prevent thewithdrawal of said tongues from said cap.Saidlatch'issubstantiallyrectangularincrosssection and has projectingfrom the upper side thereof the bifurcated member 18, and in the slotformed bythemembers ofsaid 13 is located the capped post 14, which.serves as a guide for the said latch in its movement up and down.Projecting from the under side of said latch 12 are theltwo pins orposts 24 24:. These said posts serve merely ascores, about which areplaced the coiled springs l9 19 to returu the latch to its originalposition whenever it has been forced downward by any means. At a middlepoint in said latch is also the downwardly-extending post 6. This postextends entirely through the outer wall of said cap, is threaded at itsouter end, andhas the nut 25 thereon. Journaled upon said post 6 andbetween the said nut 25 and the said latch 12 is located the hollowlocking memher 5. The middle portion of said locking member 5 is roundin cross-section and fitted into a round'opening in the wall of the cap,

in which hole it revolves freely upon the post 6. On the inner end ofsaid part 5 the eX- tension 11 is constructed to serve as a tumbler.This tumbler 11 is such a distance from the latch 12 that it contactswith the interior side of the wall of the cap when the latch is in theengagement wilh the notches 10 in the tongues 9. In the interior wall ofsaid cap 3 is formed a recess 27 of a suitable size to receive the saidtumbler 11 when it is rotated until the tumbler is directly in line withsaid recesss. By this means whenever it is desired to unlock said jointthe said locking member 5 is rotated, by means of the milled knob 5,until the tumbler 11 is direcly over the recess 27, and the said latchis then pulled downwardly by means of said knob 5 until the tongues 9are released from said latch 12. Whenever it is desired to connect thesaid collar for use, the parts are forced together, the tongues on thecap 2 moving the latch until it passes beyond the shoulder in saidtongues, and the springs 19 force the latch into the said notches 1O 10,and the said collar is properly connected. If it is then further desiredto lock the said parts together, so that there is no danger of theirbecoming disengaged or unlatched by accident, the knob 5 is turned untilthe tumbler rests against some other portion of the inner side of thesaid cap not coincident with the recess 27.

In Fig. '7 I have shown a variationin which the latch 12 springs upwardto let the tongues 9 pass thereunder, and the knob 20 is located uponthe upper side of the cap 3, and thus inside the collar. The lockingdevice may be omitted and the said knob made with a slot therein, as 21,to receive the strap holding the neck-yoke or holdback straps, ifdesired. It may be thought by some that this style of construction ismore desirable as presenting no projection or knob on the outside of thecollar to catch on objects.

In order to connect the hames together without requiring a leatherstrap, as is customary, I have made the openings 7 7,'&c., in the outersurface of the caps 2 and 3. Fitted into these holes are metal straps 44. These metal straps are formed, as shown, with portions to rest uponthe outer surface of the caps and to conform to the contour thereof. Inthe middle portion at 18 they are formed into a loop shape to receivethe strap-ring 28, ordinarily found at the lower ends of the hames. Toattach the said straps 4 4 to the caps, they are formed with the twoL-shaped projections 16 and 17 of the shapes shown, with the foot of theL-shaped projection extending in the direction of the strain upon saidstrap. By this construction the said straps 4 4 are connected with thesaid hames, as aforesaid, are then inserted in the openings in the capstherefor, and the hames are next fastened together at the top by a strapor any other suitable means, and when the said collar is closed in themanner above which it is to be used it will be unnecessary to againunbuckle the straps or any other connections thereof in use, exceptsolely the mechanical joint I have above described, which can be done byturning the said knob 5, making the operation thereof very quick andsimple and avoiding all trouble and annoyance with a breast-strap.

The holes 8 8 in the caps are designed to admit bolts for attaching thesaid caps to the collar. The lugs 15 15 are shoulders formed upon theinterior of the cap 3 to rest against the collar and prevent the capbeing forced upon the collar far enough to interfere with the working ofthe parts located therewithin.

I have not shown complete collars and hames, because the hames andcollars may be of any usual construction, and my said device is adaptedto fit any of the makes of collars and hames now in general use.

The openings in the straps 4 4 are designed especially to lighten saidparts and for ornament, and the shape of the outer edges of the caps maybe of any suitable design which conforms to-the construction described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is the following:

1. Ina horse-collar, the combination with the side members thereof, of acap disposed upon the lower end of each of said members, a latchslidably mounted within one of the caps and having oppositely-disposedextensions, one of the said extensions bifurcated and the other piercingthe said cap, a fixed projection disposed within the said cap in thepath of movement of the bifurcated extension of the latch for guidanceof the latter, the other cap having a projection for-engagement with thelatch, and means rotatably mounted upon one of the extensions of thelatch to lock the second-mentioned projection in engagement with thelatch.

2. In a horse-collar, the combination with the side members thereof, ofa cap disposed upon the lower end of each of said members,

a latch slidably mounted within one of the said series, amemberrotatably mounted upon lat-eh piercing the first-mentioned cap upon saidmiddle extension and having an offengagement of the last-mentionedprojection standing projection for engagement with the with thelatch.interior of the cap to lock the latch against 5 movement, and the othercap having a pro Witnesses:

jeetion for engagement with the latch mech- CHESTER W. BROWN, anism, thelast-mentioned extensions of the HARRY BROWN.

CHARLES J. DOLLEY.

